15-1 (07)
release dates: April 7-13
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Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
© 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
By BETTY DEBNAM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
From Our Bill of Rights
The Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Amendments
The Sixth Amendment
The Sixth Amendment has to do
with the rights of people accused of a
crime. This amendment is so long, we
have broken it into parts.
Part 2
THIS IS WHAT I
AM ACCUSED OF.
Part 1
Words to know
“… and to be
informed of the
nature and
cause of the
accusation;”
Words to know
“In all criminal prosecutions,
the accused shall enjoy the
right to a speedy and public
trial, by an impartial jury of
the state and district wherein
the crime shall have been
committed, which district
shall have been previously
ascertained by law …”
Words to know
This is what these words mean to
most people:
• prosecutions: legal actions in a
court
• impartial: not favoring one side
over another
• previously ascertained: found
out before
Meaning: A person has the right to
a trial soon after the arrest, and the
jury (made up of people who live
nearby) shall make a fair decision.
• accusation: a statement
charging one with wrongdoing
Meaning: The accused must be told
the exact charges against him or her.
Part 3
• compulsory process: steps that
must be followed
Meaning: The court must set up a
way to get a friendly witness to testify.
Part 5
THESE ARE YOUR RIGHTS.
“and to
have the
assistance
of counsel
for his defense.”
Words to know
• counsel: lawyer or attorney
Meaning: All accused people have
the right to a lawyer to defend them
and help them get a fair trial.
SO HE’S
THE ONE!
“… to be confronted with the
witnesses against him …”
Words to know
• confronted: meet face-to-face with
Meaning: The accused person has
the right to know who is accusing him
or her and to question them.
Part 4
YOU
MUST
APPEAR.
“… to have
compulsory
process for obtaining
witnesses in his favor …”
Trial by jury had been a part of the English
tradition. However, before the American
Revolution, the British did not always
encourage it in the Colonies. As a part of
the Constitution, the Bill of Rights helped
make trial by jury part of our legal system.
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15-2 (07); release dates: April 7-13
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
James Madison Matters
James Madison was born at his
family’s plantation in Virginia on
March 16, 1751. The home,
Montpelier, today is being restored
and attracts many visitors.
Madison was a sickly child who
loved to read. At the age of 11 he
was sent away to school. He returned
home and was taught by a tutor for
two years. He graduated from a
college, today known as Princeton, in
just two years.
2. Interest in politics
He returned to Virginia and went
into politics.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Mini Spy . . .
photo courtesy National Archives
Madison served as a
member of the first
Congress to meet after
the Constitution was
approved. He proposed
amendments, or changes to it.
The first 10 amendments were
approved, or added, to the
Constitution in the Bill of Rights.
5. Wife Dolley
In 1794, he met and
married a widow,
Dolley Payne Todd.
They were married for
41 years and raised
Dolley’s son, Payne.
Madison served on a committee that
wrote Virginia’s first constitution and the
important Virginia Declaration of Rights.
He was elected to the Virginia House of
Delegates and the Second Continental
Congress.
6. Secretary of state
3. Constitution’s father
At the age of 36, he was elected to
represent Virginia at the convention
that wrote our Constitution in 1787.
His reports are the best single record
of what went on at the convention.
At just over 5 feet tall, he was a
little man. He spoke often at the
convention, and the delegates
listened to his opinions.
TM
Mini Spy and her friends are visiting a judge.
See if you can find:
• banana
• eyeglasses
• umbrella
• football
• letter J
• mug
• letter D
• mushroom
• letter E
• number 3
• fish
Dolley Payne Todd Madison, The White House
1. Growing up
4. Bill of Rights
James Madison, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Gift of Mrs. George S. Robbins
The Constitution is our plan of
government. More than any other
man, James Madison influenced both
the Constitution and our Bill of
Rights.
Let’s find out seven important
things about this amazing American.
Thomas Jefferson chose Madison
as his secretary of state to handle
the country’s dealings with other
nations.
7. Our fourth president
Madison was elected
our fourth president in
1808.
He served for two terms.
He and Dolley retired to Montpelier.
He died in 1836 at the age of 85.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Brown
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TRY ’N
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Words that remind us of the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Amendments are
hidden in the block below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally,
and some letters are used twice. See if you can find: LAWYER, JURORS,
LEGAL, PUNISHMENT, FACTS, CRUEL, BAIL, MONEY, CHARGES,
RIGHT, JURY, FAIR, TRIAL, DEFEND, COURT, CONSTITUTION,
COMMON, CRIME, JUDGE, WITNESS, SIXTH, SEVENTH, EIGHTH.
TM
SERVING AS
A JUROR IS AN
IMPORTANT
ROLE!
6th, 7th and 8th
Amendments
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Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
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®
15-3 (07); release dates: April 7-13
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
TM
Guide to the
Constitution
Perfec
classrot for
o
use! m
The popular nine-part series on the
Constitution, written in collaboration
with the National Archives, is now
packaged as a colorful 32-page
softcover book. The series covers:
• the preamble, the seven articles
and 27 amendments
• the “big ideas” of the document
• the history of its making and
the signers
To order, send $9.95 plus $3.50 postage and handling for each copy. Send check or money order (U.S. funds only) payable to:
Andrews McMeel Universal, P.O. Box 6814, Leawood, KS 66206 or call toll-free 1-800-591-2097.
Please send ______ copies of The Mini Page Guide to the Constitution (Item #0-7407-6511-6) at $13.45
each, total cost. (Bulk discount information available upon request.) www.smartwarehousing.com
Name: ________________________________________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________________________________________
City: _______________________________________________ State: _________ Zip: __________
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
You’ll need:
• 6 strips fully cooked (microwave-ready) bacon
• 1 (28-ounce) can cut green beans
• 1 medium potato (10 to 12 ounces), peeled and diced*
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 cup sliced almonds
(*“Diced” means cut into small cubes.)
What to do:
1. Cook strips of microwave-ready bacon according to directions
(approximately 30 seconds). Crumble into pieces.
2. Drain can of green beans, reserving 1/2 cup juice.
3. Place bacon, beans and potato in a medium baking dish. Sprinkle salt
and onion powder on top and mix together.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 10 minutes,
stirring after 5 minutes.
5. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Top with sliced almonds. Serves 8.
You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.
Meet Timothy Hutton
Timothy Hutton plays David Wilder in the
movie “The Last Mimzy.”
Hutton, 46, landed his first big role as the son
of Carol Burnett and Ned Beatty in the TV movie
“Friendly Fire.” He was about 19.
He became famous a year later after playing a
troubled boy in the movie “Ordinary People.” He
won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his
work in that film. He is still the youngest actor ever to win that
award.
He has acted in many TV shows and movies. He also directs
and produces. He directed the movie “Digging to China.”
He produced, directed and acted in episodes in the TV series “A
Nero Wolfe Mystery.”
Timothy was born in Malibu, Calif. His father, Jim Hutton, was
also an actor. When he was 5, he appeared in a movie with his dad.
He became seriously interested in acting when he was in ninth grade.
He also is co-owner of a restaurant in New York City.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
The Mini Page®
Rookie Cookie’s Recipe
Bacon ’N’ Bean Dish
© 2007 Shane Harvey/New Line Cinema
The Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Amendments are about granting __ __ __ __ trials.
Go dot to dot and color.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
TM
All the following jokes have something in common.
Can you guess the common theme or category?
David: Where did Mother
Goose leave her trash?
Darcy: At the Humpty Dump!
Desmond: Who do mice see when they are ill?
Daria: Hickory Dickory Doc!
Denzel: What sign did the real estate agent
put on the yard of the old woman
who lived in a shoe?
Dory: “Soled!”
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
®
15-4 (07); release dates: April 7-13
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
The Seventh and Eighth Amendments
Seventh Amendment
Eighth Amendment
The Big Idea
Part 1
Thomas
Jefferson
thought that
the right to
serve on
juries was an
important
right of the
people.
Thomas Jefferson, Bowdoin College Museum of Art,
Brunswick, Bequest of the Honorable James Bowdoin III
“In suits at
common
law, where
the value in
controversy
shall
exceed $20,
the right of trial by jury shall
In our country, people are innocent
be preserved …”
until proven guilty. These
Words to know
• common law: law based on
custom or tradition. It is sometimes
called “judge-made” law. Judges
make their decisions based on what
has been decided in the past.
Common law is different from laws
made by legislatures or law-making
groups. These laws are called
“statutes.”
• controversy: disagreement
Part 2
WHAT IS THE
VERDICT?
“… and no
fact tried by a
jury shall be
otherwise reexamined in
any court of
the United
States, than
according to the rules of
common law.”
Meaning: Once a jury reaches
a decision based on the facts of a
case, the facts cannot be reviewed
by a judge. This limits the power
of a judge to change a jury’s
decision.
amendments were added to make
certain that everyone accused of a
crime is treated in a just way by the
courts:
• the rules are fair;
• the fair rules have to be applied
in a fair way;
• the fair rules apply to everybody.
What jurors do:
• listen to the evidence
• consider the facts
• not talk about the case or watch
or listen to news reports about it
• When lawyers from both sides
have finished arguing their case, the
jurors must listen when the judge
tells them about the laws involved.
• They then meet in private to
discuss the case and reach a decision.
Selecting juries
When there is to be a trial, the
court sends out notices to more
people than are needed to serve on
the jury. The list is made up of citizens
who have registered to vote or who
have been issued driver’s licenses.
This group is called the “jury pool.”
I GOT WHAT
I DESERVED.
“Excessive bail
shall not be
required, nor
excessive fines
imposed, nor
cruel and unusual
punishments inflicted.”
Words to know
• excessive: high, well above
what is usual
• bail: the amount of money that
a person might have to post (or
deposit) with the court. By posting
bail, the accused can stay out of jail
before the trial. The bail money is
returned when the accused person
appears at the trial.
In some cases, the crime is so
serious that the accused person is
not permitted to post bail. In this
case, he or she must stay in jail until
the trial.
• inflicted: cause to be suffered
Meaning: This amendment
THAT’S UNFAIR. means that your
punishment should
not be unfair. For
example, you could
not receive a life
sentence for
stealing a piece of
bread.
The British sometimes tortured
their prisoners. They often kept people
in jail by setting their bail too high.
These amendments help give
citizens the right of “due process,” or
the right to be treated fairly by their
government.
This is the fifth in a monthly series
about the Bill of Rights. The Mini
Page thanks the staff of the
National Archives and Lee Ann
Potter, director of education and volunteer
programs, for their help with this issue.
The Mini Page thanks Claire Griffin, vice
president of educational programs, the Bill
of Rights Institute, for her help with this
issue.
Site to see: www.archives.gov
Site to see: www.billofrightsinstitute.org
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
photo courtesy National Archives
Read about the
Sixth, Seventh and
Eighth Amendments
in
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
by Betty Debnam
Appearing in your
newspaper on ____________.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam
© 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
(Note to Editor: Above is cameraready, one column-by-41/4-inch ad
promoting Issue 15.)
release dates: April 7-13
15-5 (07)
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The MIni Page Publishing Company Inc.
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
TM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Standards Spotlight: The 6th,
7th and 8th Amendments
Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each
week we identify standards that relate to The Mini Page’s content and offer
activities that will help your students reach them.
This week’s standards:
• Students understand the purpose of government. (Social Studies: Power, Authority and
Governance)
• Students identify key ideals of the United States’ democratic republican form of government.
(Social Studies: Civic Ideals and Practice)
Activities:
1. Select someone in the newspaper who you think would be a good judge of your classroom
rules. Paste the person’s picture on a piece of paper. Write a sentence telling why you would
like that person.
2. Work with your family to develop a list of three rules you should follow in the house, like
cleaning your room or doing your homework at a regular time. Next to each rule, put down
what will happen if you do not follow the rule. Post your rules in your room.
3. Select six comic strip characters that you think would make good jurors. Paste their pictures
on a piece of paper. Next to each character, write a sentence telling why he/she would be good
on a jury.
4. Think about a rule in your school classroom that you would like to change in some way.
Write a paragraph explaining how you would change it and why it should be changed.
5. Follow a local trial in your newspaper. Collect the stories. Write at least two paragraphs that
discuss the way the trial demonstrates amendments six, seven and eight. Use these
questions to guide your discussion: Who was on trial? What was the charge? Who was the
prosecutor? Who was the defense attorney? Who were the witnesses for both sides? What did
the jury finally decide? If the defendant was found guilty, what was the sentence?
(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)
(Note to Editor: Above is the Standards for Issue 15.)
Supersport: Caitlin Lowe
Height: 5-5
Birthdate: 2-6-85
Hometown: Tustin, Calif.
It’s spring, another softball season, and Caitlin
Lowe’s expectations are high once again. She’s a
three-time All-America outfielder who will try to help
Arizona win another national championship. Lowe
starred in the Wildcats’ march to the Women’s College
World Series title last year.
Though only 5 feet 5 inches tall, Lowe swings a big bat. In her first
three seasons, she posted batting averages of .437, .510 and .425, while
also sparkling in the outfield. She was Co-Pac-10 Player of the Year in
2005 and is a national Player of the Year candidate this season.
Lowe, majoring in psychology and minoring in business, also was a key
player on the USA national team.
When Caitlin isn’t driving opposing pitchers batty, she likes to hang
out with family and friends, watch movies and bask on the beach. But
now her focus is on helping Arizona have another banner softball season.
(Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 15, to be
used in place of ad if desired.)
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